Something In the Air
by PinkAngel17
Summary: What happens when the Captain, her first officer, Tal Celes, Vorik, and Gerron get temporarily stranded on a planet? A few barriers might just be crossed... Twoshot. J/C and Celes/Gerron
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: If I owned Star Trek Voyager a few things _never_ would have happened and some things _would _have happened, so obviously I don't own Voyager.

A/N: I was apparently in a bit of a fluff mood when I wrote this so be warned. Also, this is J/C, but here's also hints of Celes/Gerron. Random, I know, but I always thought Gerron was kinda adorable.

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><p>Tal Celes sighed from her spot on the log and leaned back against the boulder behind her. "How long have we been here?" She asked while using the toe of her boot to kick a small rock back and forth.<p>

"Ten minutes longer then the last time you asked." Gerron grumbled from the other end of the log they were using as a bench.

"Approximately two hours and thirteen minutes." Vorik answered from where he stood scanning a big blue flower and apparently choosing to ignore Gerron's agitated grumblings.

Kathryn Janeway watched the exchange with a slightly amused twist of her lips. This wasn't exactly how she planned for the away mission to go, but it could have been worse. At least they were all safe and no one was injured. Not yet anyways. Judging by the way crewman Gerron was subtly staring at Celes' foot as it kicked that rock around, the young woman might be about to lose said foot…either that or he was contemplating giving her a foot rub.

"Bored?" Chakotay's voice broke through her observations of the three crewmen on the other side of the camp fire.

She looked over at him as he sat down on the forest ground next to her, getting a bit closer than was technically necessary considering they were far enough away from the others that they couldn't be overheard that easily. She decided not to mention that though. It was starting to get colder as the evening began approaching so the added body heat would probably come in handy.

"Bored?" She echoed with a small smile and a raised eyebrow. "How could I be bored when they're providing all this entertainment." She answered, tilting her head towards the three silent crewmembers.

Chakotay chuckled, glancing over at the other members of the away team before turning his attention back to her. "It could be worse."

Janeway nodded in agreement and looked back towards the others. "It could. Just our luck though…." She began, picking up a small brown pebble to inspect while leaning against the log behind her. "We come down to investigate some ruins and wind up getting stuck on this planet because of a magnetic space storm interfering with transporters."

"Never a normal day in the Delta Quadrant." Chakotay stated with a glint of humor in his eyes as he scooted back against the log as well. "According to Harry the storm should die down enough for us to beam through in about ten more hours though."

"I'm not sure Tal's foot will last that long." She muttered, tossing the pebble she now had memorized off to the side and choosing to study the surrounding trees that circled the small camp site instead.

Glancing back at Chakotay she noticed the amused expression on his face as he watched the two bajoran's across the encampment. Tal Celes was still slumped back against the big boulder, her foot still knocking that little rock around while she stared down at it with the smallest hint of a pout. Gerron on the other hand had his arms crossed over his chest as he sat crossways on the log, so his back was against a tree, while staring blankly at the ground surrounding Tal's foot and rock.

"You know, Celes seems to be one of the few who can get a rise out of him." Chakotay suddenly stated, looking towards the former maquis. "He's usually pretty laid back, doesn't really seem to care about much, so it's rare to see him outwardly agitated."

Kathryn nodded, following his gaze just in time to see Vorik casually move to sit down between the two bajorans while simultaneously studying his tricorder. She couldn't help but to smirk when Gerron glanced up briefly before shifting closer to the tree and letting his gaze drift back to Tal's foot.

Janeway was so entranced in her observations that it took a moment longer than usual for her to feel Chakotay's eyes on her. However, once she did she immediately looked over at him. There was something unrecognizable in his dark eyes for a brief second, but it was swept away before she could figure out what it was. Now he was just watching her with the usual gaze he'd give her when they were alone together, only this time he didn't bother looking away when he realized she caught him.

For the first time she began putting names to the emotions she saw there. Adoration, hope, reluctance….and a longing so deep it seemed to make the air around him sizzle and the hair on back of her neck stand on end. Together it mixed into one over all emotion that she couldn't admit to herself. After all, she could be wrong. It might not be the way she thinks he means it or how she _wants_ him to mean it. And if she was wrong….

"This place kind of reminds me of New Earth." He stated softly, with only a tinge of humor in his otherwise serious tone. He smiled sadly as if remembering a bittersweet memory while bringing a hand up to move a wayward strand of hair out of her face.

It was a gentle gesture which, done by anyone else, wouldn't have felt quite so intimate. But when he did it, his fingers ghosting against her cheek, it sent a shiver down her spine. She met his eyes, trying to convey her own reluctance and silently ask what he thought he was doing.

His lips parted as if he were about to speak, but before the words could actually be formed a frustrated exclamation quickly broke their eye contact.

"Will you stop messing with that rock already!" Gerron gritted out, a flash of something entering his eyes for a second as he glared over at Tal Celes.

"Okay." Celes squeaked softly, eyes nervously darting to Gerron and back as she huddled against the boulder some more and brought her feet closer to the log. She then began fidgeting with the hands in his lap and periodically glancing over at the dark haired bajoran.

Janeway and Chakotay shared a knowing, though slightly awkward look, before she began pushing herself up off the ground. Chakotay followed suit, offering her a hand as she stood.

"The sun will be going down in about an hour and a half." She began, waiting for everyone's attention before continuing. "We have blankets and a few rations with us so I suggest we eat and then get some rest."

She watched as Celes eagerly stood, smiling in the usual admiring way, and waited for orders. Vorik followed with his hands behind his back while Gerron then reluctantly began to stand as well. "Vorik, you and Celes do one more scan of the area just to make sure we're alone. Gerron, start unpacking the blankets. There should be enough for each of us to have two, but check to make sure." She ordered and watched as they drifted away to do as they were commanded before turning to Chakotay.

"Care to help me with dinner, Commander?" She asked teasingly, with a quirked eyebrow.

"My pleasure, Captain." Came Chakotay's answer with a grin that showed off his dimples and twinkling eyes.

A few minutes later the ration packs were laid out besides the fire and the folded blankets piled on a near by rock. Chakotay made himself and her a plate which he then handed to her while she took out a water container for him. Tal Celes got hers next, followed by Vorik.

As the vulcan straightened he casually eyed the spot on the ground next to Celes which was close to where he'd been sitting before, but with a glance towards Gerron, who was now getting his rations, he instead walked around the camp fire and took the empty spot next to Chakotay.

Kathryn nearly chuckled at the vulcan's antics when Gerron then stood and nonchalantly sat next to Celes. However she resisted the urge and simply smiled instead, especially when Celes scooted closer to the fire and therefore inching just that much closer to Gerron as well.

After that dinner was mostly silent. The only real conversation was from herself and Chakotay as they discussed ship business and general maintenance. Vorik and Celes did occasionally pitch in a comment or two and at one point even began a conversation between themselves involving a vulcan delicacy that Vorik's mother had apparently perfected. Gerron remained quite, only giving one or two word answers when Celes would try engaging him in the conversation. Or at least that's how it had been up until now.

Janeway listened as Gerron and Tal talked back and forth, though some might describe it more as bickering, while she poured herself some coffee from the thermos that Neelix had apparently snuck into her bag just before the mission.

"My father made the _best_ ratamba stew you could find anywhere." Celes insisted, gesturing excitedly. "I used to help him so I know for a fact there was kava in it."

Gerron rolled his eyes and shook his head in her direction. "Ratamba doesn't have kava in it. Not if it's _real_ ratamba."

Celes narrowed her eyes, one eyebrow raising minutely. "How do you know anyways?"

"I've made it once or twice." The dark haired bajoran mumbled, looking away and avoiding eye contact which just made Celes grin, her eyes getting brighter with amusement.

"You can cook!" Tal exclaimed with a tinge of surprise in her voice.

"I don't cook." Gerron rebutted firmly, still not looking at Celes or anyone else.

"But you _can_." Celes pointed out happily as if it were the biggest news she'd heard in a long time.

A suspiciously mischievous look entered the young woman's eyes and Kathryn had the feeling Gerron would find himself in the kitchen once they got back to the ship. When Gerron rolled his eyes again with a small, slightly amused smirk, Janeway mentally patted Celes on the back for getting him to open up. Even if it was just a small crack, it was still an achievement to be proud of.

"I believe ratamba actually has katterpod in it." Vorik spoke up. Gerron didn't respond, but Tal titled her head to the side, brows furrowing in contemplation.

"I think that's only if you put it over pasta." She said thoughtfully.

Janeway caught Chakotay's eyes with a small, knowing smile before finishing off her coffee. "I thinks that's enough talk about stew for now." She began, standing and once again being followed by Chakotay. "We might as well get some rest since we still have several hours before the storm clears."

"There aren't suppose to be any dangerous life forms around here…." Chakotay began, looking down at the three crewmembers. "But someone should keep watch, just in case."

"We'll take shifts." Janeway stated, giving a brief nod in agreement. "I'll take the first. The rest of you…" She continued, gesturing towards the blankets still stacked neatly on the rock. "Get some sleep."

As she watched them move over to the rock to retrieve their blankets with a chorus of 'aye, Captain' and 'yes, ma'ams' she suddenly felt as if she were tucking them into bed. A feeling she quickly and firmly kicked aside.

She stood back away from the camp fire to give them room to lay their mats down just as Chakotay approached with two extra blankets. "I'll go ahead and get yours ready for when it's your turn to sleep." He stated casually, which was obviously his way of telling her not to even attempt staying up all night so the rest of them could sleep the whole time.

She raised an eyebrow at him, a small smirk twisting the corner of her lips upwards, and nodded briefly. As Chakotay began laying out his mat near the fire she turned her attention to the other three.

Vorik was already beginning to lay down, on the right side of the fire, his second blanket thrown loosely, but neatly over his lower half. Gerron and Celes were a different matter though.

Tal unfolded one of her blankets and was just about to throw it down on the ground when Gerron reached out and grabbed her upper arm to stop her. She looked up at him questioningly, eyes darting from the hand on her arm to his face. "You'll freeze to death there. It's getting colder." He stated quickly and stepped to the side a bit, gently edging her closer to the last accessible spot near the camp fire. "Here, get closer to the fire." He muttered so quietly it was barely audible.

He then quickly let go of her arm with his patented nonchalant look as she smiled appreciatively at him. "No point in getting frost bite." He stated, this time a bit louder, before turning to lay his own blanket on the ground not far from where Celes was still standing and staring at him.

With a quiet 'thank you' which Gerron simply nodded at, Celes laid her mat on the ground and quickly followed, wrapping her second blanket around her shoulders and up to her chin while periodically glancing over at Gerron.

Once Janeway saw that all three of them were down for the night, she turned her attention back to Chakotay. He was turned on his side and apparently watching her. Of course he was also laying on what she had originally assumed would be _her_ sleeping mat, but apparently he'd reserved the blanket closer to the fire for her. With that arrangement she'd be sleeping between him and the camp fire.

She didn't comment though, instead she simply gave him a pointed look which he returned with a rather cheeky grin. Rolling her eyes she then turned and walked over to one of the larger rocks so she could sit and keep watch.

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><p>AN: What do you think so far?


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I still don't own Star Trek Voyager!

A/N: Just to let you guys know, I had to repost the first chapter, but nothing's really changed. Thank you to everyone for reading and for the really nice reviews! Hope you like this last chapter!

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><p>Three hours passed and Janeway was now sitting on one of the logs looking over the tricorder read outs for the scan she'd just run. Her eyes were beginning to feel droopy, but she could still easily make it another few hours.<p>

Apparently she wouldn't have to though. Just as she was about to turn off the tricorder she heard a rustling and then suddenly Vorik was standing next to her. She looked up, one eyebrow quirked at the vulcan who was just standing there with his hands behind his back and a look as if he'd just slept for eight hours straight.

"I am ready to relieve you, Captain." He stated, just soft enough not to wake any of the others.

She studied him for a moment, noticing how he indeed seemed alert and ready to run a marathon. Sometimes those vulcan abilities really did come in handy. With a brief nod she stood and handed him the tricorder. "Wake me if anything starts creeping up on us." She ordered, only half-teasingly.

Vorik raised an eyebrow, but nodded in return and took the seat she'd just vacated while she made her way to the other side of the encampment, careful not to step on any random appendages on the way.

Kneeling down, she threw a few more twigs and leaves into the fire to keep it going, glancing over at Celes and Gerron to make sure they were still sleeping peacefully in the process. Once she was satisfied she pulled up the top blanket of her makeshift bed and crawled under.

She hadn't really realized just how cold it had gotten until she was wrapped comfortably in the blanket with the fire warming her back. Opening her eyes she noticed Chakotay was now laying on his stomach, head turned in her direction, with one arm being used as a pillow. And he was sound asleep. There was even a small drop of drool at the corner of his lips that the light from the fire glistened off of.

It was amusing and, if she had to admit it, rather cute in a way. With a small smile she buried herself deeper into the blankets and let her eyes drift close, trying to keep the memories of New Earth at bay.

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><p>It wasn't long before Kathryn slowly began to wake up and the first thing she realized was that she wasn't as cold anymore. The second thing that managed to ebb it's way into her still half asleep mind was that her pillow was moving.<p>

Pillow?

She didn't remember having a pillow. Prying her eyes open she realized why her pillow was moving. First of all, it wasn't technically a pillow. Secondly, it was _breathing_. Sure enough her face was nestled into Chakotay's chest, her head resting partially on his arm, partially on his shoulder and tucked underneath his chin.

As for Chakotay he was laying on his side and if the heavy, warm object was what it felt like then his arm was wrapped around her waist, his fingers dangling on her back so they just barely grazed the blanket, but still close enough for her to feel them against her back.

Slowly she lifted her head, trying not to wake him up, and squinted a bit through the darkness to look around. From what she could see Vorik was on the opposite side of the camp and facing the thicker part of the forest, away from them, and was apparently studying the tricorder intently as it scanned a pinkish-white plant.

Good. This wasn't exactly a position she wanted any of her crew to see her in….especially not with this particular person. She sighed, letting her head fall back on Chakotay's arm as she contemplated the best way to get out of his grasp without actually waking him.

Not that her contemplations did much good. Glancing up she noticed his eyes slowly beginning to slide open. His legs, which she now realized were pressed firmly against hers, stretched a bit as he started waking up. She tried to wiggle out from under his arm before he woke up completely, but as soon as she began moving his arm instinctively wrapped itself tighter around her and pulled her even closer to his chest. Any closer and they might as well share a uniform.

"Trying to escape now that I finally have you captured." He teased softly, still half-asleep, but with a tinge of humor and contentment lacing his voice.

She felt his hand slowly trace a path up and down her back, almost as if trying to keep her warm, but not actually fast enough to do any good. He obviously wasn't planning on letting her go anytime soon.

"If I get any closer I'm going to be on top of you." She pointed out in a hushed voice so as not to wake any of the others.

A crooked little smile began spreading across Chakotay's face, his eyes still partially closed as if it'd make her believe he was asleep. "Oddly enough, I don't have a problem with that."

Janeway quirked an eyebrow at him, forcing the amused smirk off her face in case he decided to open his eyes anytime this decade. "You might not, but the three crewmen only a few feet away _might_." She stated matter-of-factly before lowering her voice to even more of a whisper. "It might just knock Celes speechless."

Chakotay chuckled under his breath, not loosening his hold any even as she briefly attempted to slide away again. "I don't know about that. She'd probably be ecstatic." With that his eyes finally opened, the brown orbs immediately burning a hole through her as their eyes locked. The intense stare down lasted a few more seconds before his eyes flickered to something just over her head. "That is if she notices. She might be a little preoccupied." He continued with a small, half-smile.

Curious about what his was seeing, she lifted her head and turned so she could just barely see the two forms sleeping to the left of the fire. They appeared to be sleeping peacefully, but what she found interesting was the fact Celes had migrated a few inches closer to Gerron whose hand was now resting awfully close to the girl's face, two of his fingers tangled in a few locks of her hair that had escaped the bun. If they'd been awake she would say Gerron was playing with Tal's hair.

She had the feeling that at this rate she'd be giving those two a similar talk as the one she'd given Tom and B'Elanna. With an amused smile she turned her head back towards Chakotay to make a sarcastic comment, but the words stopped in her throat. Even her breath seemed to come up short for a moment when she was suddenly met with a pair of dark, heat filled eyes that were staring right at her.

They were so close now that their breath was intermingling, a few puffs of visible air actually floating away because of the cold temperature surrounding them. Strangely enough the outside chill wasn't effecting her at all. If anything she suddenly felt a bit too warm under the blanket and Chakotay's arm.

Silence stretched on between them, the only sound being their breathing and the gentle rustling of tree limbs as the wind blew through the branches. She was entranced by his eyes as they continued to stare at each other, both silently trying to convey a message that wouldn't actually pass their lips.

Eventually, as the seconds ticked by silently even as the heat continued to raise between them, Chakotay blew out a long breath which tickled her nose. Then the look in his eyes changed just slightly, the emotion she'd seen flash in them earlier was now back and there really was no way of mistaking it. Not from this distance anyways.

Her mind began running at warp speed, the thoughts and consequences of what this meant taking over until she nearly missed it when he began to talk. However, once he began her entire focus was on him alone.

"I said a lot of things on New Earth. But there's one thing I _didn't_ say. Something…" His eyes clouded over, becoming distant as if remembering something even as they traced an invisible pattern across her face, lingering slightly on her lips until they moved back to make eye contact again. "…something I now realize I _should _have said." The words where soft and probably wouldn't even be audible if she wasn't so close, but yet they were still able to make her heart start racing in a way that not even the borg queen could accomplish when reigning terror down on her ship.

"Chakotay…" She whispered, closing her eyes for just a second before meeting his stare one more. The captain's voice in the back of her mind was telling her this shouldn't be happening because once it did there was no turning back. This could possibly ruin the whole dynamic they'd established over the past several years. And if he was going to say what she thought he was going to…and it didn't work out….

He obviously wasn't aware of the mental turbulence going on in her head though, either that or he just decided to keep pushing through it anyways, because before she had a chance to finish her sentence he was speaking again.

"I love you, Kathryn." The soft words were spoken with so much raw emotion and passion that she was momentarily speechless. It was something that rarely if ever happened, but in the face of such an honest, blunt, and almost desperate statement her voice didn't seem to want to function. It was as if he were pleading with her to believe him while simultaneously asking her to return the affection.

He was metaphorically handing her his heart and hoping she didn't drop it.

And what the hell was she supposed to do with that? Part of her wanted to smack him for putting her on the spot like this while another part wanted to just kiss him and get it over with. She remained silent, just staring at him with a blank expression as she tried to figure out what to say.

He obviously took that the wrong the way. The look of pure love and adoration shinning in his eyes began to dim, slowly being replaced with a rejected expression that made the lines in he forehead stand out. The wounded puppy dog look in his eyes nearly broke her own heart.

That's when all the voices in her head telling her what to do suddenly just shut up, finally giving her a perfect clarity of the situation. There really was only one honest response she could give him.

"I love you too, Chakotay." She whispered, hoping the underlying emotions she was trying to convey would translate into the simple sentence.

It must have worked because his eyes immediately flickered back up to hers, that shinning spark once again filling his expression as a grin began spreading over his face. Then, in a slow move, he began inching his face closer, giving her time to pull away if she really wanted to. But she _didn't_ want to.

Her heart was pounding as their noses grazed each other, her left hand tangling itself in the front of his uniform shirt and pressing against his chest so she could feel his own heart hammering away uncontrollably. The hand that came up to cup her neck was excessively warm against her chilled skin, the thumb gently caressing her jaw seeming to singe her flesh.

Her mouth parted just slightly as his own lips softly ghosted across hers. The gentlest of touches, like a butterfly's wing, slowly caressing her lips as if they were the most treasured artifact he'd ever encountered. He pulled back for just a moment, letting his hand slide behind her neck so he was cradling her head, before pressing his lips back to hers with much more force as he captured her bottom lip between his.

And that's how they stayed for the next several moments. Their lips locked with each others, switching between gentle caresses and demanding kisses that fought for dominance. His hand roamed from her neck, down her side to her thigh, over her back, and back up to her face while she used her left hand to hold his face to hers.

It wasn't until he started trailing his lips down her neck, gently nipping her earlobe, that they were interrupted by the chirping of her comm badge. Jumping apart at the sudden sound, he grinned over at her, causing her to roll her eyes while finally slipping out of his grasp to sit up.

"Janeway here." She responded, still keeping her voice low.

"_Captain, the storm is clearing sooner then expected. We will be able to beam the away team up during the next five minute window_." Tuvok informed her from over the comm link.

Kathryn locked eyes with Chakotay, watching as he sat up with a look of pure contentment. "Acknowledged, Tuvok. Give us a minute to get our things together and you can beam us on up." She answered, already moving to stand.

"_Yes, Captain_." Tuvok responded before ending the comm link.

"Alright, Commander, you wake those two…" Janeway began, gesturing to the still sleeping crewmembers who at some point had gotten even closer to each other than before. "I'll start packing up. And finding Vorik." She added upon noticing the absence of the engineer.

"Yes, Captain." Chakotay stated with a nod as he too switched back into officer mode and turned to move away.

"And, Commander…" She began formally in her usual 'captain's voice' and then waited until he stopped and looked back at her. "We'll be finishing this later." She continued with a pointed look and a general gesture around the encampment even as a mischievous look flashed in her eyes.

Chakotay grinned, his own impish expression surfacing before being wiped away with a fake serious look and formal nod. "Of course, Captain."

As he turned around with a very happy look on his face, she began looking for the remaining member of the away team. "Vorik." She called, walking over to the last place she saw him.

Sure enough as soon as his name was called the vulcan stepped through the trees and into the small encampment. "Yes, Captain?" He asked casually. "I was scanning a particularly interesting looking floral arrangement just beyond that tree." He explained upon seeing her expression and nodding to the area behind him.

Janeway eyed him for a moment, not seeing any sign that he may have seen or overheard her and Chakotay, but then again he was a vulcan. "Find anything note worthy?"

"Not particularly. Though I did run across a species of plant that I believe may be similar to the Earth form of vanilla." He stated evenly, hands going behind his back as usual.

She nodded, still watching him silently. "If the storms keeps weakening maybe we can have some brought aboard for Mr. Neelix." She said, beginning to turn around so they could help the others pack up.

"Indeed." Vorik answered, moving to walk beside her.

As they began picking up blankets she glanced over him, waiting until Chakotay had the other two far enough away before asking him what was really on her mind. "Did you _hear_ anything interesting?"

Vorik raised an eyebrow while folding one of Tal's blankets. "Interesting perhaps…but not surprising."

"Is that so?" She stated, straightening from where she was picking up Gerron's mat.

"It has been a belief among some of the crew that you and the Commander have been romantically involved for quite some time now." Vorik answered bluntly, not stopping from his folding. "Therefore I was not a witness to anything surprising. In fact it was even expected on some level."

Kathryn watched him for a moment longer as he moved to pick up her and Chakotay's blankets. After a few seconds she let a small smile twist her lips before moving to finish putting away the blankets.

Looking around she made sure that everything was packed and that Celes was putting out the fire before she tapped her comm badge and ordered the transporter chief to prepare for beam up.

"Interesting conversation?" Chakotay asked quietly as he came up behind her with a couple of the bags slung over his shoulder.

"Interesting…" She began, glancing over at Vorik as he stood calmly beside Celes, who was brushing off some dirt from Gerron's shoulder. Gerron simply stood with his arm's crossed and an exasperated look on his face that was belied by the small half-smile that seemed to take a bit of the harsh look from his features. "Maybe. Surprising? No." She finished with a small smirk.

She looked up at him, sharing a long look that promised each other a future full of a unique kind of happiness that only came around once in a lifetime. A peace to ease their burdens and a love to tie their hearts together for the rest of their lives.

Seeing the love shinning in his eyes, a look she knew to be reflected in her own, she had no doubt that they could make this work. If they could make such a dangerous trek through unknown space and survive numerous attacks, all in an attempt to deliver the crew home safely…..well, if they could do that then there was no reason why they wouldn't be able to have this relationship. After all, the command team was expected to stick together. Now they'd just be sticking that much closer.

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><p>AN: Again, thank you all for reading and for reviewing! I really appreciate it!


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